The Czech government has approved a proposal by Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky to impose sanctions on Belarusian citizen Natalia Sudliankova and Russian citizen Alexey Shavrov.
“Natalia Sudliankova is a key collaborator of the Russian military intelligence service GRU. The activities of this influence agent Sudliankova were financed directly from Russia. In recent years, she has been paid tens of thousands of euros in cryptocurrencies,” said Minister Lipavsky.
The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that on the instructions of its commander, Shavrov, the agent of influence secretly worked in the interests of several Russian organizations. On the instructions of the GRU officer, the agent organized the publication of several articles in the Czech media.
“Both Natallia Sudliankova and Alexey Shavrov pose a risk or even a threat to the security of the Czech Republic. Sanctions are undoubtedly needed,” said Jan Lipavsky.
The assets of both sanctioned individuals have been frozen and they will be denied entry to the country. Any circumvention or facilitation of such sanctions is a criminal offense.
Natalia Sudliankova was granted political asylum in the Czech Republic in 1999. In the Czech Republic, she was the editor of the Russian-language newspaper Prague Telegraph.
According to the Czech Security and Information Service, since 2020 Natalia Sudliankova has worked in several Russian structures, including Rosatom, as well as in the state-funded Fund for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad.
